The primary goal of this program is to provide minority and disadvantaged undergraduate students with an initial exposure to basic science and clinical researchers and their areas of cardiovascular research at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. It is anticipated that significant number of minority undergraduate students will elect to enter into graduate research programs at either this university or others around the country as a results of the experiences in our program. We also expect a limited number of medical students to participate in this program. It is hoped that these students will either pursue a research experience during their residency or in a few cases pursue a combined degree in medicine and research (Ph.D. or M.S.). Specifically, the program will emphasize the following: , a. To develop an appreciation for the scientific method of investigation. Emphasis will be placed on exposing students to literature-based hypothesis generation, proper experimental design and appropriate data analysis procedures. b. Exposure to a biomedical research environment that emphasizes collaboration between basic science and clinical researchers and that clearly demonstrates the clinical relevance of cardiovascular research that is being conducted at this university. c. To provide an accurate perception of the importance of animal research with emphasis on proper use of animals and an initial exposure to ethics in the conducting of these types of research studies;